WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday, September 22, at 2:30 pm ET/8:30 am HT, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) will lead a K-12 education spotlight forum to examine how a new national private school voucher program will harm 50 million students who rely on public schools. Created by H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the national school voucher program is set to divert as much as $50 billion in taxpayer funding that could otherwise be used for public education to private schools each year.
The forum will feature a panel of witnesses that includes policy and legal experts, education advocates, district leaders, and classroom educators who will speak about how school vouchers have led to significant divestments in public schools that have disproportionately impacted low-income students, rural students, students with disabilities, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students—among others. Additionally, the witnesses will raise the alarm about the potential ramifications for states that participate in the national program, including the risk of widespread fraud.
The spotlight forum will be livestreamed on Senator Hirono’s Twitter/X and YouTube
WHAT: Senator Hirono to host a K-12 education spotlight forum on the impacts of diverting billions of dollars in taxpayer funding to private schools.
WHO:
- Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
- Mr. Augustus Mays, Vice President of Partnerships & Engagement, EdTrust
- Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer, National Center for Learning Disabilities
- Dr. Maureen Brummett, Superintendent, Newington Public Schools
- Ms. Alejandra Lopez, President, San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel
- Mr. John Quesenberry, High School Teacher, Woodrow Wilson High School
- Ms. Jessica Levin, Litigation Director, Education Law Center
WHERE: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 106
WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 2:30 pm ET/8:30 am HT
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Education WV advocates for public education and represents teachers and education support personnel in West Virginia. The union is the merged state affiliate of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.
